


A Matter of Restraint

by Ydnam



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-06
Updated: 2013-01-06
Packaged: 2017-11-23 23:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/627651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ydnam/pseuds/Ydnam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Rumple manages not to overreact to Ruby chaining Belle up in the library, no matter how tempting it might be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Matter of Restraint

**Author's Note:**

> Post 2x07 "Child of the Moon"

Rumplestiltskin felt he was showing admirable restraint. He had not yet made even the slightest move to threaten the wolf girl after Belle told him of her misadventure with the library and the chains. He had barely even raised his voice. Admittedly most of the other customers in the diner had turned to stare at him when he swore but not all of them, and that should count for something. All he had done since that rather tame outburst was to shoot baleful looks in Ruby’s direction and he could hardly be blamed for that. 

“Stop that,” his companion said. Perhaps he could be blamed for looks after all. “You’ll frighten her.”

“She might do well with a fright,” he grumbled. Perhaps he could turn her into a rabbit. That would be fitting for a wolf, wouldn’t it? Just for an hour or so. A day at most.

“She absolutely would not,” Belle said firmly. “She feels awful as it is and you are not to terrorize anyone on my account, remember?” She stared him down and he sighed. She was the only person who could look him in the eye until he relented and she was well aware of that fact.

“Very well.” He wouldn’t terrorize the girl but turning her into a rabbit didn’t fit his particular definition of terrorizing her. He could do so much worse after all.

“Rumple, I know that look.”

“What look is that?” 

“The one on your face that says you’re thinking of something to do that wouldn’t count as terrorizing Ruby. What are you plotting?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly. She just looked at him, waiting. “I wasn’t plotting,” he clarified. “I was wondering if turning her into a rabbit would count as terrorizing her.” She kept asking for honesty and honesty she would have, even if she didn’t like the answers he had to give.

“It would!” To his surprise, Belle giggled. “And that’s horrid. No retaliation. You don’t need to do anything to her and you’re not going to.”

The rabbit was right out in that case and that was just as well. He wasn’t entirely sure if he could do that here. Perhaps just a veiled threat. That hadn’t been forbidden him. Talking wasn’t really doing anything to her. “As long as you’re quite sure you were unharmed.” 

“I told you I was fine,” she said. “More than once. And I am. Nothing a good night’s sleep and an apology didn’t take care of.”

“I still don’t like it,” he replied, knowing full well he sounded like a petulant child. 

“People do strange things when they’re frightened,” Belle said gently. “You know that as well as anyone. At least she had the courtesy not to leave me in a dungeon.” The look she turned on him was pointed and he flinched noticeably. “And if I can forgive you for a dungeon I can forgive her for one chain in a library. And if I can forgive her, so can you.”

She was right. She was almost always right. He sighed and nodded. “Eventually.” He was an expert at holding grudges. Letting go of them was another matter entirely and one he had very little practice in.

The rest of the meal was unremarkable aside from being spent with Belle. There were no unwelcome interruptions though Henry did grin and and chirp a hello at the both of them when he arrived with his grandfather. It would seem the charm was working, then, or the boy was just trying to be friendly to Belle and who could blame him for that?

Belle offered to walk him back to the shop and he agreed without hesitation. “Just let me settle the bill, sweetheart.” She looked from him to Ruby, who had been left alone at the register, and sighed softly. “No terrorizing,” he assured her and she gave him a long hard look before nodding and going to wait outside, seemingly satisfied that he was telling the truth.

“Miss Lucas,” he said as he handed over the check and the money. “A word?”

Ruby eyed him warily. “Okay.”

“Stop looking at me like you think I might eat you. Cannibalism was never one of my faults, dearie, no matter what parents were telling their children to frighten them in the night.”

She rolled her eyes at him. That was good. That meant she’d relaxed at least a bit. “What do you want, Gold?”

“Just a moment of your time to discuss a certain incident in the library.” He was trying to smile, he was, and if it looked more like he was baring his teeth that just couldn’t be helped. “I would consider it a personal favor, Miss Lucas, if Belle continued to enjoy her freedom without any further interference. From you or from anyone else in this town.” 

The wary look was gone now to be replaced by one of confusion. “That’s it?”

He snorted. “I would think that was enough. I made a promise that it would have to be. You know the value of that. You’re quite safe from me when it comes to this situation.” He was smirking now, no teeth showing at all. “You can keep the change.”

There was nothing for Belle to object to about that exchange. He had made himself clear without a threat. She would appreciate that, surely. The smirk on his face slowly changed to a genuine smile as he emerged from the diner and offered his arm to Belle. 

“You know I’m going to call her later and ask her what you said,” Belle told him as she took his arm. “And she’ll tell me.”

“I told her I wouldn’t eat her,” Rumplestiltskin offered. “And that I’ve never actually eaten anyone yet.”

“Rumple!” Belle’s expression was somewhere between dismay and amusement.

He continued, ignoring her reaction. “And I assured her that she was safe from me.”

“And?” She prompted. “What else?”

She knew him too well, his Belle did. “And that I would appreciate it if she didn’t interrupt your freedom again in the future.”

She squeezed the arm she was holding. Apparently that had been acceptable after all. “I’ll still call her later to check, you know.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”


End file.
